Czech environment ministry allocates CZK 98.7 million to community energy projects and launches platform

The Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) has provided CZK 98.7 million for a total of 55 community energy projects. To further develop electricity sharing in communities, the ministry has also prepared a Platform for Establishing Energy Communities, which is intended to provide a space for sharing practical experience. Its first meeting will take place on Thursday. The MŽP announced this today. Electricity sharing in Czechia has been possible since September.

According to the ministry, interest in community energy is greatest among smaller groups of citizens and associations of municipalities. The ministry has supported, for example, ten projects in the Olomouc Region, seven in the Zlín Region, and six each in the South Moravian and Central Bohemian regions.

According to the MŽP, the aim of the grant call, which had CZK 116.5 million allocated to it, was to support the foundations of community energy and the establishment of at least 40 energy communities.

„Community energy brings self-sufficiency and provides a clean source of energy that is not dependent on price fluctuations,“ said Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL).

In addition to direct savings, he said, it also helps keep money in the region, strengthening the local economy. „The establishment of energy communities also encourages people to become personally involved in energy projects, which can change citizens’ relationship with modern energy and weaken local opposition to the construction of new energy sources,“ he said. „And I must emphasize that using our own energy sources also helps combat energy poverty,“ he added.

Alongside the grants, the ministry also announced the creation of the Platform for Establishing Energy Communities. According to the ministry, it will serve as a space for sharing practical experience, quickly identifying barriers and problems, and providing information on implementing supported projects. In addition to the MŽP and the State Environmental Fund of the Czech Republic, the Energy Regulatory Office, the Union of Community Energy and the National Centre for Support of Energy Communities (NCPEK) will take part in the platform. Its first meeting will take place on Thursday.

Electricity sharing in Czechia was introduced by an amendment to the Energy Act last year. It is possible, for example, within communities or when generating electricity for one’s own use at another delivery point, such as transferring it from a holiday cottage to an apartment. Those interested in sharing electricity have been able to register with the Electricity Data Centre since August; sharing has been operational since September.

By the end of October, more than 10,000 participants in Czechia had started sharing electricity with one another. Since the start of September, they have shared more than 320 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity, equivalent to the monthly consumption of about 1,000 households. The greatest interest in sharing comes from customers in a single property or across several properties they own.